Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Sally Hansen Gem Crush Swatches Part 1

I think the best way to describe how I feel when I'm wearing these colors is glam. I adore glitter in all shapes and forms, and for a polish with a name like "Gem Crush," I had my sights set high.

It's
hard to capture the shimmering brilliance in photos, but my favorite
thing about these polishes were the depth of the colors in each glitter.
Each one seemed like it had layers of colors, which created a really
multifaceted look without being too over-the-top obnoxious.

While a few of the colors fell flat, I think that had more to do with my skin tone than the actual color itself. The
application was a little thin with just one coat, so you definitely
need that second coat to create the bling-y look I achieved below. When
Wendy and I were swatching, we discovered that the glitters almost seem
to dry matte, but don't lose the shine. Check out all of the colors
below, with individual swatches for four of the colors (more to come
from Wendy, who will be swatching the other four).

What
I actually found the most unique about these new Sally Hansen
polishes was the brush—instead of the typical long, skinny brush, these
were shorter, flatter and wider. The bristles held their shape really
well, and the tip was rounded so it made the application incredibly
easy. This is my first Sally Hansen polish in years, but I'm
completely sold on the brush, which I haven't seen from any other
brands yet. (I think I've read that these brushes are on the Insta-Dry
polishes as well, so I may have to check those out)

Sally Hansen Gem Crush - 02Cha-Ching!

I usually prefer pinks over reds, but this candy apple red was so gorgeous that I made a one-time exception. It's
a thick red glitter with larger pieces of silver glitter for contrast.
It seemed a little chunkier than the others (in a good way .... I think
this is the first time I've ever heard chunky being described as a
positive thing).

Strangely, this one didn't come with the cool brush that the others did, but I still achieved an awesome look with just two coats. I actually mentioned to Wendy that this would be the perfect Valentine's Day polish...ten months from now. Something to look forward to, I guess!

Sally Hansen Gem Crush - 03Big Money

This
was my absolute favorite glitter from this collection. It's so hard to
see in the photos, but it's a golden (almost peach) color with flecks of
light lavender glitter. I fell in love with this one right away. It's
not so in-your-face that I'd feel awkward wearing it to a society event
for work, but it's also not your plain and boring neutral.

It's definitely light on the first coat, so you'll need at least two coats for full opacity.

I think this one would make a great accent nail as well, maybe for a springtime mani using a soft lavender as your main color.

Sally Hansen Gem Crush - 06Razzle Dazzler

It's
not quite as glam as the others, so I was a little disappointed by the
name (as cute as it is). I can appreciate a muted glitter, and this one
is pink, pink and more pink!

It's one I could probably
live without, however. The color is similar to OPI Teenage Dream from
the Katy Perry Collection, and although they have different opacities
when applied, I'm not one to duplicate colors. This is a great pink
though, for someone looking to add this shade to their collection.

Sally Hansen Gem Crush - 07Lady Luck

I
think it's a curse that I like the polishes that have the not-so-cute
names. What I love about Lady Luck is the rich, jewel-tone of this
purple-y red. It reminds me of a juicy berry squeezed into a bottle of
nail polish. Probably not the look Sally Hansen was going for, but all
the same, it's a great color.

You would think that with a
darker polish, you'd only need one application ... but with two coats,
you're good to go with bright, sparkly fingers sporting a twist on the
classic red polish.

All
in all, I have to say I'm impressed with this collection from Sally
Hansen. As die-hard OPI girl, one thing this blog is teaching me is to
love and appreciate all forms of beauty, even in polishes I've already
written off. Bravo, Sally Hansen, for this amazing collection of
glitters that's getting a lot of great buzz in the beauty world!

Disclosure:
The products reviewed in this post were provided by the PR company for
Sally Hansen, but all opinions are my own. View our disclosure policy
for more information.